Iran: A volcano that could explode any moment, Ebadi says

Follow Turkish model not Iran's, Nobel Peace Prize winner says

(ANSAMed) - SORRENTO, JULY 9 - ''Iran is a volcano that could
explode at any moment,'' Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi
told ANSAMed after a women's meeting during a conference by the
Banks and Businesses Observatory (OBI) today.

''The Arab Spring began in Iran, but it was repressed with
violence,'' Ebadi said. ''In 2009 many citizens were murdered,
and many more incarcerated. Because of this violence, the street
protests were interrupted. But the situation in Iran remains
like a volcano, likely to explode at any moment.''
The Iranian lawyer and human rights activist went on to express
hope that the Arab Spring might have a positive effect on her
own country as well. ''If the uprisings in North Africa were to
have positive outcomes resulting in democracy, this would
reflect positively on Iran,'' Ebadi said. ''But what is
happening right now in Syria is a civil war, and this could slow
down the democratization process.''
Ebadi called on the new leaderships of Egypt and Tunisia to not
repeat Iran's errors, but to keep state and religion separate,
following the Turkish model. ''It is natural for Muslims to
prefer political Islam,'' Ebadi said. ''But electing Islamic
parties does not necessarily mean that the religion and the
state are one and the same. We must separate between the two, as
in Turkey.''
The new political elites, Ebadi said, would do well to observe
the Iranian example. ''If they are intelligent, they will
compare Iran and Turkey. In 1997, the economic condition of Iran
was better and more evolved than Turkey's, but now the roles are
reversed. I hope the North African revolutionaries will avoid
Iran's mistake.''
In Egypt, the vice presidential nominations of a Coptic
Christian and a woman indicate that the country will follow the
Turkish model, Ebadi said.
She went on to criticize the West, which is ''more focused on
its own economic interests than on human rights in Arab
countries. I am against military intervention because usually it
slows down the democratization process. Instead of intervening
militarily, the West should have prevented the various dictators
from hoarding their wealth in foreign banks. Europe could have
preemptively prevented them from slaughtering their own
people,'' Ebadi said.

Asked about the détente between Egypt and Iran, Ebadi said Cairo
will never substitute Damascus as the prime ally of the mullahs.

''It is normal for the two countries to have friendly relations.

But Syria is a red line for the Iranian regime, which will
defend Assad tooth and nail,'' Ebadi said. ''The Syrian
President is a puppet in Iranian hands, and Egypt cannot
substitute Syria.'' (ANSAMed).